My Chemical Romance: The Foundations of Decay

They’re baaaaack.

Of course I have some feelings about it.

Some initial reactions: They’ve once again made a shift, style-wise, and this time they’ve landed on something more old-school metal-inflected. Loud, thudding, a touch of ogre-roar but just a touch; mostly Gerard Way’s vocals ring clear as bell. And there’s a little bit of artistic noise going on towards the end. It’s perfect stomp-and-sway material, and for me, old person and metal fan, it’s instantly familiar and comforting.

Lyrically it’s a death-themed kaleidoscope, flipping through several storylines at once, including a reference to Way witnessing 9/11. If this is the opening salvo for a concept album – and since all of their previous records have been concept albums, this is a reasonable assumption – I’m looking forward to finding out more about these narrative threads.

A Good Read A Good Listen and A Drink: Union Sound Treaty

It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.


Union Sound Treaty are based out of Morgantown, West Virginia, and Next Year is their first record. It was released back in November 2016, and the short version of my initial reaction is: “Awwwwwwwww YEAH.”

The long version: It’s the first record for a while now that I let go on repeat because I liked the songs and wanted to hear them again so I could get a better idea of the nuances of the lyrics. Musically, it’s solid, but the pedal steel is particularly great, like a cold glass of sweet tea on a hot day.

WHile I encourage you to go to their Soundcloud and listen to the whole thing straight through – this is a record which supports such an approach, in the sense that it is cohesive, complete work, not a collections of disparate tunes all going in different directions – here are some of the highlights:

Peaked: This is a song about playing a gig that is also a fashion show, and the attendant difficulties in concentrating on the task at hand. I was tremendously amused.

Sad Country Standards: It is both an example of the genre and metacommentary upon it, which I always enjoy, in a song.

Needle Fall Down: It’s a little grim – okay, fine, it’s really grim – but – it’s beautifully, evocatively and powerfully grim. You can really feel the despair, and the sense that music helps a little bit but not quite enough, and the joy is strongly mixed with more pain.

And now I’m going to turn the floor over to the band – John Schooley (Guitar), Shawn Wilhelm (Bass Guitar), Ross Justice (Drums), Nate Colombo (Pedal Steel Guitar), Charles Wesley Godwin (Vocals & Rhythm Guitar) – all of whom are joining us today to talk about a favorite book, record and drink.


Left to right: Ross Justice- Drums, John Schooley- Guitar, Charles Wesley Godwin- songwriting/vocals/rhythm guitar, Shawn Wilhelm- Bass Guitar.
Not pictured: Nathan Colombo- Pedal Steel Guitar

A GOOD READ

John Schooley: I’m not much of a bookworm at all but, while I was living in New York I had about 90 minutes a day to sit and read while riding the subway between Manhattan and Queens. I definitely enjoyed the stuff from Kurt Vonnegut (Breakfast of Champions & Armageddon in Retrospect) and Chuck Palahniuk (Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey & Invisible Monsters).

Shawn Wilhelm: You Can You Will: 8 Undeniable Qualities of a Winner, Joel Osteen. This isn’t necessarily my favorite book but it helped me not too long ago. It’s a good motivational read. I had planned on starting my own business, but I was unsure about leaving my former job. Every time I set an exit date I would chicken out and drag my feet. A friend of mine in the music business told me about this book. It definitely gave me the confidence boost I needed and helped me move forward.

Ross Justice: Admittedly, I’m not the biggest reader in the world, but I do collect old history books, in particular ones that cover West Virginia history and politics.

Nate Colombo: Earl Scruggs and the 5 String Banjo. While not technically a novel or anything, it’s hard to think of a piece of media, book or otherwise, that has had as dramatic an influence over my life as Earl Scruggs and the 5 String Banjo. The story on how I started playing music is longer than this write up allows for, but I started my musical life as a banjo player. Any beginning player will tell you that this book is the banjo player’s Bible.

Every note Earl ever picked has been meticulously recorded and transcribed into to the book in a way that allows even the most novice of players to understand and master. So having said that, I’m not exaggerating by saying, I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for this book and its contents.

Charles Wesley Godwin: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. My Mom got this book for me in either first grade or second grade. I became obsessed with it until I finished it (and the rest of the series). I attribute this book for making me a “reader” for life.

A GOOD LISTEN:

JS: A Good Listen for me is Blast Tyrant from Clutch. I’m a Riff-Rock type of guy and these guys nail it, big fan of this group. From front to back the album delivers heavy, groovy, riff-oriented rock & roll.

SW: Dreaming My Dreams, Waylon Jennings. My Grandfather is my biggest musical influence. He sang and played guitar, bass, piano, mandolin and banjo. In middle school I developed an interest in music, he began teaching me the basics of guitar and bass.

Along with instruments, he Introduced me to classic country music and bluegrass. We would spend entire weekends in the summer picking and listening to Waylon, Willie, Hank Williams and Gene Autrey. This album was a staple in our “set list.” Nearly every song on this album could have been a single. This was Waylon Jennings’ first album in which he was given complete control from RCA records. You can tell. Nothing sounds forced, and every song seems to blend perfectly. The simple melodies and warm bass lines are perfect. In my opinion, it’s one of the best country albums of all time.

Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way (Remastered)

RJ: One of my favorite albums to relax to is Before These Crowded Streets by Dave Matthews Band. Carter Beauford is a “drum idol” of mine, and I love the arrangement of that album.

Pantala Naga Pampa

NC: Whiskeytown, Stranger’s Almanac. I picked this album because it always gets heavy play in my car this time of year. Stranger’s Almanac is my go to answer when someone asks me to recommend an alt-country album. In my personal opinion, it’s one of the few albums that I feel are a near perfect 10/10 from start to finish.

The reason it gets such heavy play this time of year is its strong vibe of “back in your home town.” Maybe it’s the power of persuasion from songs with titles such as Inn Town, but when I’m back home for Christmas (like I am now), Stranger’s Almanac is always the soundtrack to meeting up with friends out at our favorite bars, staying out drinking beer all night, or sitting around a fire catching up.

So as I write this, Stranger’s Almanac is my “top of mind” answer. Additionally, and with more connection to the music we play, the pedal steel solo for Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart is probably the first time I fell in love with the idea of playing steel guitar. Most steel players cite guys like Buddy Emmons or Paul Franklin as their primary steel influences, and don’t get me wrong, those guys are gods behind the steel, but “Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart” was the first time I had heard the steel utilized in a format that wasn’t expressly classic country. It’s really the only song on that album that has a strong steel guitar presence.

What had an impact on me was the steel guitar’s ability to influence the overall sound of the track. It took what would have been a traditional rock and roll sound (guitar, drums, and bass) and gave it a distinct country flavor. Adding that small instrumentation to the song makes the listener say, “this is a country song.” That’s what drew me to the steel guitar. Being able to introduce that type of influence is really attractive to me. So ultimately, that’s a song that helped me make the decision to dive into playing the steel guitar.

Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight

CWG: Little Victories by Chris Knight. It’s been a long year. A struggle. Hard times. Chris’ songs spoke to me in this one. I’m grateful for them.

Chris Knight - In The Mean Time

A GOOD DRINK:

JS: I don’t start the day without coffee (two cream one sugar) and I have to agree with Nate’s endorsement of Yuengling. That’s one of my favorites.

SW: Big Wave, Kona Brewery. I discovered this beer while living in Hawaii. Fresh out of college I was used to party beers (Bud Light, Natty Light etc.) This was the first full flavored beer that I fell in love with. For the longest time you could only enjoy it in Hawaii and on the West coast, but in the last two years it has popped up everywhere. Do yourself a favor and twist open one of these sweethearts, you will be dancing the hula in no time.

RJ: I definitely couldn’t get through the day (or morning for that matter) without black coffee. As appears to be a band trend, I’m also big on Yuengling, Lagunitas IPA, and West Virginia brewed Halleck Pale Ale from Chestnut Brew Works.

NC: Yuengling. Not much to say here other than I think everyone else in UST would agree that this is the official drink of the band. Never gets old to me. Haven’t played a show where Yuengling wasn’t involved in some capacity or another. So Yuengling, if you’re reading this, we’ve been looking for a beer sponsor.

CWG: Chamomile honey tea. This gets me through weeks that I have 5+ shows. Without it I would lose my voice a lot.

All Those Ships, Meteorology for Runners

[Editor’s note: This was supposed to be published the last day of November and . . . I screwed something up, so it didn’t, so, uh, here it is!]

cover061216

Meteorology for Runners is the second record from All Those Ships (Brandon MacNeil). It’s folky-art-pop, but it’s folky-art-pop with shoegaze undertones, surprising heft, and the occasional jagged edge.

This is Head Up, the first song, and the one that persuaded me to listen all the way to the end of the record.

My favorite song however, is Squish Spiders for You which is, as the title hints, a wistful meditation on squishing spiders for love.

Also solid is Tiny Clouds which starts off spare and folky and gradually evolves into something heavier and fuzzier.

A Good Read A Good Listen and a Good Drink: Shroud Eater

It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.


Shroud Eater is – I think relentless is the word I’m looking for. That’s the first thing I noticed, anyway, that they start off with a grinding pace and a tight grip and they don’t ever let go. Depending on how you feel about sludge metal and/or the crash and thrum of heavy guitars, the resulting sensation is either a warm bath of noise or enough to squeeze the breath out of you. Spoiler alert: I’m on Team Warm Bath of Noise.

Their most recent effort is Destroy the Monolith which they released in November as part of a split with Dead Hand:

And with that, I turn the floor over to Shroud Eater, who join us today to discuss a favorite book, record and drink.


Shroud Eater, from left to right: Davin Sosa, Janette Valentine, Jean Saiz.

A GOOD READ:

Jean Saiz: When I was a teenage misanthrope, I was very fortunate that my high school English teacher gave me Les Chants de Maldoror to look for solace, inspiration, horror and quite a few hearty laughs. Written by Le Comte de Lautreamont (the nom de plume of Isidore Ducasse ) in the 19th century, the work is a blasphemous kamikaze ride of wildly beautiful, horrific surrealist prose.

Written from the point of view of its ferocious anti-hero, Maldoror exposes his sadistic, murdering philosophies on life, civilisation, the praise of evil and the complete annihilation of “God” the creator throughout its pages. This is not literature for the faint of heart!

A couple of my favorite passages include the tale of “God” the creator materializing on this earthly coil, only to pass out in a drunken stupor on a street and be shat on four days straight by animals and humans alike. Another passage has Maldoror watching a shipwreck from a nearby cliff, then shooting and killing its remaining survivors as they try desperately to reach the shore. He culminates this vile act by swimming out into the maelstrom and coupling with a female shark, the only other creature who was as evil as he.

The whole book is a cruel and bizarre intersection of Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Marquis de Sade, Nietzsche and a dash of Hunter S. Thompson – it’s truly a work ahead of its time, or completely out of time altogether. Because of this, it remains one of my favorite pieces of literature, and something I pick up 18 years later, still finding inspiration and awe within its murderous text.

A GOOD LISTEN

Davin Sosa: Jesu – Everyday I Get Closer To The Light From Which I Came

With no prior knowledge of the band, I checked out this record at the suggestion of a friend. Since then, it’s done more to shake the foundation of how I look at music than most albums. Lyrics dealing with loss and hopelessness, accompanied by music that asserts an air of finality. This record sounds like what we hear when we die. Honorable mention to the Shoegaze influences sprinkled all throughout the album and cool warped tape effects. I’ll shut my trap and let the music speak for itself:

A GOOD DRINK:

Janette Valentine: As a seasoned drinker, my go-to spirit of choice is a delicious whiskey neat. I’m a big fan of a smooth, smoky drink . . . the kind you savor and warms you on the way down. Truth be told, there’s no better reason to enjoy a glass of Glenlivet or Black Label other than to relax and kiss daily woes goodbye.

However, after doing some research I learned that drinking whiskey CAN do a body good – double win! The word “whiskey” comes from the Gaelic word Uisge Beatha which means “water of life”. Research points to reduction in risk of heart disease, prevention of cancer, and it can lower your chance of developing dementia. Ultimately it tastes good and feels even better. Pour away and enjoy…cheers!

A Good Read A Good Listen and a Good Drink: Nikos Mixas, Twingiant

It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.


Twingiant are in a transitional phase, and by that I mean they are in the process of evolving from stoner/sludge metal to a more “traditional” sound. The two songs below are their most recent demo and serve as signposts for their new direction. Here’s what I like: It’s heavy, sure, but there’s some guitar wizardry involved, as well as some ogre roar.

And with that, I will turn the floor over to guitarist Nikos Mixas, who joins us today to talk about his favorite book, record and drink.


twingiant

A Good Read

Confessions of A Heretic: The Sacred And The Profane: Behemoth And Beyond

There are a ton of books I could have chosen but this is probably the most recent one I’ve read. I always like reading biographies and autobiographies about people I deem “interesting” and Adam “Nergal” Darski definitely fits that mold. I really enjoyed reading about his battle with leukemia. It’s inspiring that someone didn’t coin their faith in “God” to beat a life threatening disease. It just shows you that most organized religions are a farce and as long as you have faith in yourself, anything is possible.

A Good Listen

Fuck . . . this can go a million different directions but I’m going to go with what I’m listening to at the moment . . . Journey “Evolution”. This album follows that signature 70’s guitar rock mold. Plus, Steve Perry is one of the best rock vocalists EVER. My favorite rock guitarist of all time??? You guessed it, Neal Schon and he fucking rips on this album. Who doesn’t love Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’?

Journey - Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

A Good Drink

Because I’m Greek and it would be asinine if I said anything else, it’s going to be Ouzo. Don’t drink it by making a shot of it, shots are for frat boys and frat boys are fucking lame. Find yourself a small glass and drop a few ice cubes in the glass. Slowly pour in the Ouzo (I prefer the brand known as “12”) and watch the ouzo turn from clear to cloudy as the anise reacts with the ice, it’s trippy. Sip it, don’t gulp it and I recommend drinking it accompanied by a small plate or two of mezedes – the Greek version of tapas. Yamas!

Everything Dies, Des Ark

Des Ark is led by Aimee Argote, and lives at the intersection of shoegaze and folk music, but the shoegaze aspect, at least on this record, is applied with a light touch. Argote has sweet delicate voice, which she uses to sing songs that are sometimes sweet and delicate but are often gloriously vulgar.

Also, 50% of the reason I listened to most of the record was I was amused and intrigued by the song titles. Or I guess I should say, the song titles were why I started listening. I kept listening because the music is good.

Quite Contrary, Pansy Division

After 25 years as a band, the last 7 of which were (relatively) quiet, Pansy Division are back with a new record: Quite Contrary.

They were the first all-gay punk band; in 1994 they toured with Green Day.

If you’d like to listen to their back catalog, they have helpfully uploaded several of their old records to bandcamp, including an extensive compilation of live performances.

The new record is in keeping with their pop-punk style – puckish and charming, but watch out for sharp edges – but it’s clear they’re feeling their years. Or maybe I’m just feeling mine? In any case I found myself waffling between affectionate amusement and rueful agreement even when I was thinking Okay, Old Men Yelling At Clouds.

But then there is something to be said about having made it to being a grumpy old person, is there not?

Anyway, songs I especially liked include Love Came Along, Work On It, Babe, and their version of the Pet Shop Boys’ It’s a Sin.

Late Night Listening: Follow Me Down, Eddy Kaiser

Late Night Listening: a home for things that might be fleeting, might be soothing, might be weird, might be soothing and weird. The blogging equivalent of sitting in the garage twiddling radio knobs just to see what might be out there.

I found this while I was looking for something else: Follow Me Down, by Eddy Kaiser. He’s from Nantes, France, and he makes folk music with rock and roll undercurrents, and he’s got a rich, fluid voice, which he uses to haunting effect.

Late Night Listening: The Wilderness, Explosions in the Sky

Late Night Listening: a home for things that might be fleeting, might be soothing, might be weird, might be soothing and weird. The blogging equivalent of sitting in the garage twiddling radio knobs just to see what might be out there.

The Wildnerness is the latest record from Explosions in the Sky, of Austin, Texas.

I’m filing it to Late Night Listening, but the most transcendent moment I had while listening to it came in the middle of a glorious fall afternoon. I was driving up the Natchez Trace, winding through the trees and admiring the subtle color – Mississippi doesn’t really do autumn on a grand and glorious scale – when the title track came on. For four and a half minutes, everything was beautifully balanced and perfect.

The rest of the record is also pretty great. Explosions in the Sky operates in the Venn diagram of “modern classical” and “rock and roll” by which I mean they use keyboards, guitars, and drums to create tumultuous, wordless modern soundscapes that somebody, someday, will think of the way we think of Bach or Beethoven. Sometimes they shimmer, sometimes they roar, sometimes they shimmer and roar. But they are always magnificent.

Compilations of Note: Revere Rock City

Revere Rock City is the Fall 2016 compilation from Spark and Fizz, a Boston-area blog and record label. All of the proceeds will go to buy instruments for the rock ensemble program at Garfield Middle School in Revere, MA. The program provides opportunities for children to learn to play in bands, and gives them a place to play where they can make as much noise as they want and not disturb the neighbors, something in short supply in Revere.

The tunes, provided by a variety of bands from the Greater Boston area, encompass a diverse array of musical styles. And, as a tremendous bonus, the hard copy version of the record comes with a zine done school newspaper style, including articles about local bands, art by students, and a custom crossword.